Manchester United have experienced a significant decline this season, with the once-giants of English football shockingly languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table at the moment.
While a range of issues could be cited to explain their dramatic downturn, one glaring factor has been the underwhelming performances of their first-choice goalkeeper, André Onana. Far from being the dependable last line of defence, Onana has frequently been a liability, with his series of high-profile errors contributing to the team’s struggles and resulting in costly draws and defeats.
Onana joined Man United in July 2023 on a five-year contract from Inter Milan. Having performed well for Inter, who also reached the UEFA Champions League final earlier that summer, Onana was reunited with Erik ten Hag at United—the two rose to prominence during their time together at Ajax. In the Cameroon international, the Dutch coach saw an able replacement for the outgoing Spanish goalkeeper, David de Gea. Given United are one of the most-followed clubs globally with a legacy of world-class goalkeepers, Onana had massive shoes to fill.
However, Onana has been inconsistent and error-prone ever since taking his position between the sticks at Old Trafford. Since joining the Red Devils, the 29-year-old has contributed to eight errors leading to goals—the most by a Premier League goalkeeper during that time. This season alone he has conceded 60 goals in all competitions, only managing ten clean sheets in 44 games. His recent performance against Lyon in the first leg of his side’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie was particularly shambolic, as he was responsible for both of Lyon’s goals in a 2-2 draw.
While Onana cannot be solely blamed for Man United’s losses or underwhelming performances, his evident struggles have been a contributing factor—be it failure to make routine saves, poor decision-making under pressure, or lapses in awareness. At a time when United are grappling with issues across the pitch, their keeper has provided them neither stability nor reassurance.
Speaking of issues across the pitch, except for their captain Bruno Fernandes, who has often carried the team single-handedly this season, most United players have been sub-par. Critical injuries have also affected their performances, with several first-choice players like Lisandro Martínez, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, and Matthijs de Ligt sitting out for extended periods.
After Ten Hag was fired in late October, Ruben Amorim was hired from reigning Primeria Liga champions Sporting in the hope that performances would improve. However, that has hardly been the case. If anything, under Amorim the team have at times looked even more lacklustre, sluggish, and underwhelming. However, one has to give Amorim the benefit of doubt. This isn’t really his team, his bunch of players, so it’s difficult to have them play according to his tactics consistently.
In addition, United have a major problem in their attacking ranks. Forwards Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee have consistently failed to make an impact. Even though the midfield has been decent, the front line lacks the intensity that Amorim expects and requires for his plans to come to fruition.
One can also make a case for United’s recruitment being poor in recent transfer windows. Big-money signings like Højlund, Antony, Zirkzee, Mason Mount, Onana, and Casemiro—who are also on unreasonably high wages—have been massive failures relative to the money spent on bringing them in and keeping them, further contributing to United’s financial woes.
Furthermore, the new United management under Ineos’ sporting ownership has undertaken major cost-cutting measures, shedding staff and carrying out redundancies to address the club’s losses, which has invited a lot of criticism from the fans. United have incurred losses in excess of £300 million in the last three years and, thanks to the Glazer ownership, remain in massive debt.
The behind-the-scenes instability has inevitably spilled onto the pitch. Financial constraints meant United couldn’t make any significant moves in the January transfer window without first offloading unwanted players—an issue expected to persist this summer. To fund reinforcements Amorim requires, United may be forced to part ways with some of their promising young talents.
While André Onana has faced his share of criticism, he is far from the biggest problem at Manchester United. In fact, with a solid defensive setup in front of him, there have been matches where he has stepped up and made key saves. He started the season well and still ranks fifth in the Golden Glove race in the Premier League with nine clean sheets in 31 games.
Still, when looking at the bigger picture and United’s long-term ambitions, Onana may not be the ideal long-term solution. If the Red Devils are serious about rebuilding for the long term, they should consider bringing in a new goalkeeper this summer—someone of the same calibre as those guarding the nets for the league’s top teams.
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